Bangladesh Bureau of Statistics has taken an initiative to conduct Rural Credit Survey 2012-2014 with a view to understanding the overall rural credit situation
and determining its impact on rural economy.
The findings will also help the government get the latest and accurate data while making policy decisions regarding rural development.
BBS officials said they would soon conduct the survey as the country’s data collection body completed preliminary preparation, including finalising the questionnaire.
‘The survey programme was designed to find out current trends of the country’s rural credit system, including agricultural and non-agricultural borrower households, sources of credit facilities and its role in rural economy,’ Md Golam Mostofa, programme director of the survey, told New Age on Thursday.
He said rural credit had played an important role in employment generation and growth in agricultural production.
But the government can face difficulty in taking policy decisions related to agriculture loan distribution for lack of updated data on demand and utilisation of rural credit and agriculture loan, he added.
Officials said that the survey would also collect data related to amounts of loan distributed to rural households, its classification by purposes of utilisation in agricultural and non-agricultural activities.
Under the survey, the BBS will try to find out actual utilisation of loans, characteristics of outstanding debts and reasons behind non-repayment of loans in time.
The survey, the second of its kind, will identify characteristics of borrower households in terms of economic condition and distinct borrower and non-borrower household groups by landownership and family size together with borrower’s profession, education, sources of income, consumption and saving patterns.
BBS conducted the first rural credit survey in 1987.
Under the survey, the BBS will also indentify the lender organisations, interest rate, types of collateral, processing fees or other expenses in getting loans.
Among other information, the BBS will collect data regarding loans transactions during the last 12 months from the date of the inception of the survey, and sources of loans, including banks, cooperatives organisations, non-government organisations, professional money lenders like Mahajans and other sources like friends and relatives.
The problems borrowers face while getting loans and the reasons for not getting them will also be identified under the survey, they said.
-With New Age input
